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Kia Carens Research

MotorBeam Team
Kia-Carens-1
Kia Carens

After the success of the Seltos and the Sonet, the Korean carmaker has launched a “recreational vehicle” this time which is based on the Sonet. The Carens is longer than its Korean sibling, the Hyundai Alcazar, however, it is neither an SUV nor an MPV, what Kia calls a recreational vehicle. It is a 6/7-seater vehicle expected to take on the likes of Hyundai Alcazar, Maruti XL6, and MG Hector Plus.

Pros – Feature-Loaded And Practical Cabin, Punchy Turbo Petrol And Frugal Diesel Engine, Good Ride Quality, Safety Features

Cons – No Panoramic Sunroof, Lack Of Space In Third Row

Kia Carens Exterior

The Kia Carens looks unique from the front. The 3D strip running between the headlamps and the indicators from one side to another with a parallel chrome finish is something not seen as often. The headlamps have a three-cut treatment. The same can be seen for the fog lamps. The Carens has the longest wheelbase in its segment, 2780 mm to be precise. The car does look shorter from the side than its rivals courtesy of its well-balanced look. The taillights look a bit similar to the Honda BR-V where the red piping stretches to the extreme ends of the car. It also gets a rear spoiler. The rear camera is placed above the number plate, below which another chrome treatment runs throughout with the Fu-Manchu styled piping at the corners of the car. Kia should offer wider tyres since the car of this size looks under-tyred. 

Kia Carens Interior

Moving inside, the centre console looks good on the eyes with a piano black finishing throughout. The steering wheel looks premium with the typical D-cut design which is adjustable for both reach and rake. The Carens gets automatic headlights and automatic wipers. The touch screen infotainment gets Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The instrument cluster is a 12.5-inch unit display with all the basic information which can be browsed through the controls on the steering wheel. The driver side window is powered by the one-touch-up and down system, though it misses out on features like an electrically adjustable driver seat. The AC vents run across the width of the cabin. Near the gearbox, one would find the wireless charging pad along with twin cupholders.  

The second row is filled with practicality. It gets a tray with a cup holder and an iPad slotter. With a magazine holder and a pen holder on either side of the tray, a smart air purifier between the front seats, roof conditioning AC vents, the experience only gets better and better. It does miss out on a panoramic sunroof though.  

Kia Carens Space

The Carens boasts of a spacious and practical cabin. The first row gets three bottle holders. There is an umbrella holder too. The glove box is decently sized. Storage space is also present beneath the co-driver seat along with a cup holder above the glove box.

Boot space is decent with the third row up. It also gets subwoofers at the side along with seatbelts for the passengers in the third row. Knee room is not the best and headroom is just about decent. The seat base is short which means under-thigh support isn’t great for tall passengers. There is ample storage space on the sides with a cup holder on both sides. The second row also has twin bottle holders present on the doors. There is some storage space behind the rear armrest.

Kia Carens Engine Performance

The Kia Carens gets a 6-speed manual 1497cc, 4-cylinder engine making 115 PS of power at 6300 RPM and 144 Nm of torque at 4500 RPM. It is extremely refined and offers a good punch for city driving. Performance is just about good and is more than capable for occasional highway driving. However one won’t get the grunt as offered on the turbo motor.

Speaking of the turbo engine, the Carens also gets a 1353 cc, 4-cylinder, turbo engine option with a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DCT producing 140 PS of power at 6000 RPM and 242 Nm between 1500-3200 RPM. There are three drive modes on offer – Eco, Normal, and Sport. The engine goes from 0-100 km/h in just 10 seconds as claimed by Kia. The motor is refined but gets extremely noisy past the 4500 RPM mark. It redlines around 6000 RPM.  

The diesel trim gets a 1493 cc, 4-cylinder CRDI (with 6-speed MT and 6-speed AT gearbox options) making 115 PS of power at 4000 RPM and 250 Nm of torque between 1500-2750 RPM. It goes from 0-100 km in slightly less than 13 seconds. Drivability is good and turbo lag is well contained. Mid-range is where it picks up pace. Post 3000 RPM, it starts to make itself vocal. The top end is just about average. 

Kia Carens Mileage

The fuel tank capacity of the Kia Carens is 45-liters. One can expect around 10-14 km/l from the Carens with the naturally aspirated petrol. The turbo petrol would yield around 9-13 km/l. The mileage on the diesel trim in real-world conditions would be around 13-17 km/l. 

Kia Carens Handling

Handling is not the Kia Carens’ strongest point. There is a lot of body roll on offer. The steering wheel is just about decent. The ride quality is where it shines. It can easily glide through potholes and bumps with minimal discomfort inside the cabin. However, the under-sized tyres fail to provide adequate grip.

Kia Carens Comfort

The seats on the third row get a three-way recline option. All the headrests offered in the car are adjustable. It gets ventilated front seats to experience the lap of luxury. The second row also gets a one-touch easy electric tumble seat for a hassle-free move to the third row. The bolstering on all the seats offers exceptional comfort however the seat height is a bit on the shorter side which might make tall passengers uncomfortable. 

Kia Carens Safety

The Kia Carens has not yet been crash-tested by the Global NCAP. In terms of safety features, the Carens get 6-Airbags, ESC, VSM, BAS, HAC, DBC (Down-Hill Brake Control), All Wheel Disc Brakes, Highline Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, ABS, Rear Parking Sensors, ISOFIX Child Anchor, High Mount Stop Lamp with Emergency Stop Signal, Speed Sensing Door Lock and much more. One thing to note is that these features are available as standard across all variants.

Kia Carens Service

Kia is not the leader when it comes to the number of service centres pan India which is understandable considering they entered the Indian market in 2019. Nevertheless, they are quickly picking up pace and doing their best to offer top-notch services to their customers. 

Kia Carens Prices

 Following are the prices (on-road Mumbai) of the Kia Carens :

Kia Carens Resale Value

The Carens is a newly launched vehicle. It would take some time to penetrate the MPV market in India. It also happens to be seen how the car performs in long term and how quickly Kia manages to update it as per the customer feedback. Apart from these factors, the resale value also depends upon the number of kilometres driven and the condition in which the vehicle is in.

Kia Carens Colours

Kia Carens is offered in the following colours :

Kia Carens Specifications

Kia Carens Variants

Kia Carens is offered in the following variants in the naturally aspirated petrol trim : 

Kia Carens is offered in the following variants in the turbo petrol trim :

Kia Carens is offered in the following variants in the diesel trim :

Kia Carens Rating

We gave the Kia Carens a rating of 4.5/5.

Kia Carens Upcoming Models

Kia has recently unveiled the Carens. It happens to be seen when will it get tweaked or updated with minor changes in the future for improvements.

Kia Carens vs Hyundai Alcazar

The Carens’ primary rival is its own Korean sibling. The Hyundai Alcazar gets request sensors on both sides of the car which is not the case with the Kia Carens. In terms of safety, the Alcazar gets a blind view monitor while the indicators are turned on which is not offered on the Kia Carens. Traction modes are also absent on the Carens. The Kia Carens also misses out on a feature like the panoramic sunroof which is present on Alcazar. In terms of dimensions, the Kia Carens is 40 mm longer, 10 mm wider and 33 mm taller than the Hyundai Alcazar. 

Kia Carens vs Maruti XL6

The Carens has a very comfortable and easy to access third row which is absent in the Maruti XL6. The XL6 offers better under-thigh support than the Kia Carens. Even the size of the headrest is a bit bigger in the XL6. The cabin feels simple in the XL6 whereas the Carens gets features like an air purifier, ventilated seats etc. There are a lot more safety features in the Carens than in the XL6. Maruti XL6 is only available in the petrol trim whereas Kia Carens gets both the engine options

Kia Carens vs MG Hector Plus

MG Hector Plus gets a more powerful diesel and a petrol engine than the Kia Carens. Another point that is noteworthy is the seating position of the Hector Plus which feels higher than Kia Carens. Hector Plus has a shorter wheelbase by 30 mm. Hector Plus is 180 mm longer, 35 mm wider, and 52 mm taller than the Kia Carens. 

Kia Carens

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